Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Elvis Perkins in Dearland at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, Mass., and it was absolutely incredible. Other than being far beyond my standards, Perkins and the Dearland crew have an incredible stage presence that supports their music in the greatest way imaginable.
Much of Perkins's new album, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, sounds more upbeat from the latter, Ash Wednesday. While numerous, charismatic additions to the music itself account for the faster, upbeat tempo, the subject matter has remained the same. Perkins's lyrics are wise and are truly coming from a voice who speaks from experience (Perkins's father died of complicatons from AIDS when he was a teenager, and his mother was a passenger on one of the planes that struck the world trade center on 9/11). In other reports, Perkins has described his music as "grandchildren" his parents will never meet.
Although both albums strongly differ in sound, they are bound by one common theme that makes them insightful and riveting. Sadly, I haven't gotten the chance to actually buy Dearland, but the songs I've heard off of it are wonderful, and I plan on getting it in the near future. My favorite song off the album, so far, has been "Shampoo", closely followed by "123 Goodbye". If you can, I strongly reccomend seeing Elvis Perkins in the future; I promise, you won't be disappointed.
Elvis Perkins in Dearland Tour Schedule:
April 22 Brattle Theatre (sold out) Cambridge, MA #
April 23 Iron Horse Music Hall Northampton, MA #
April 24 Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel Providence, RI *&
April 25 Higher Ground Burlington, VT *
April 27 Il Motore Montreal, QC *
April 29 Horseshoe Tavern Toronto, ON *
April 30 Schubas (sold out) Chicago, IL ^
May 1 Memorial Union Terrace Madison, WI ^
May 2 400 Bar Minneapolis, MN ^
May 3 Redstone Room Davenport, IA ^
May 5 Jackpot Music Hall Lawrence, KS ^
May 6 The Waiting Room Omaha, NE ^
May 8 Hi-Dive Denver, CO ^
May 9 B Side Lounge Boulder, CO ^
May 11 The Parish Austin, TX ^
May 12 Pontiac Garage at HOB Dallas, TX ^
May 13 Walters on Washington Houston, TX ^
May 15 Bottletree Birmingham, AL %
May 16 Club Catalyst Knoxville, TN %
May 18 Outback Lodge Charlottesville, VA %
May 19 Iota Club+Cafe Arlington, VA %
May 20 Bell House Brooklyn, NY %
June 7 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA **
June 8 Plaza Orlando, FL **
June 9 Revolution Ft. Lauderdale, FL **
June 10 The State Theatre St. Petersburg **
June 11 Cafe Eleven At. Augustine, FL
June 13 Bonnaroo Music Festival Manchester, TN
June 21 Clearwater's Great Hudson River Revival, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
August 2 Newport Folk Festival - Fort Adams State Park Newport, RI
# = w/ The Interstate Sacred Harp Singers
* = w/ The Low Anthem
& = w/ Deer Tick
^ = w/ Other Lives
% = w/ The Woes
** = w/ Bon Iver
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
AFTER A RATHER LONG HIATUS, I RETURN TO YOU WITH...
...the rest of the Clatter Clatter interview! Yay!
I apologize to my readers for such a long break. Sadly, I cannot spend all of my time writing, but I had school, musical rehearsal, and all of the fun whirlwind we know as life. Alas! Let's get to the article:
Clatter Clatter is a group that shows how music conservatory graduates can create contemporary music. A five-piece group, all graduates from the renowned Berklee Conservatory of Music in Boston, are the perfect example of contemporary musicians who are able to draw flawlessly from their education in music, but have the ability needed to balance that with the right amount of life experience needed to create good music. "[I]t just subtly molds itself into the way you think about music. I never consciously apply what Berklee has taught me to my song writing or bass playing, but it's there. It's found a way to incorporate itself."
A point where the education in music seems to "incorporate itself" is in the unique range of the music. The album is fun, but in a way that extends into ambient, soothing music at some points and folk-pop/Bob Dylan-esque the next. The music is deep, but not in a painful, angst-ridden way most music in that genre is. Their inspirations fall within a similar place, including "Wilco, Spoon, and the National", but are all seen in a discreet way that will only make the band seem somewhat familiar in a comforting way.
Clatter Clatter's album, Too Many Boxes, is a must-listen that is well worth it. Although based in Boston, they'll be making their way out to the stretches of Keene, NH and New York in the upcoming months. To hear more, visit their myspace. My favorite song is "City Girls", a song that is able to expose emotion and depth while retaining an old-time sound and feeling. Too Many Boxes will hold your attention without begging for it, and the light, fun sound is perfect for the advent of Spring.
I apologize to my readers for such a long break. Sadly, I cannot spend all of my time writing, but I had school, musical rehearsal, and all of the fun whirlwind we know as life. Alas! Let's get to the article:
Clatter Clatter is a group that shows how music conservatory graduates can create contemporary music. A five-piece group, all graduates from the renowned Berklee Conservatory of Music in Boston, are the perfect example of contemporary musicians who are able to draw flawlessly from their education in music, but have the ability needed to balance that with the right amount of life experience needed to create good music. "[I]t just subtly molds itself into the way you think about music. I never consciously apply what Berklee has taught me to my song writing or bass playing, but it's there. It's found a way to incorporate itself."
A point where the education in music seems to "incorporate itself" is in the unique range of the music. The album is fun, but in a way that extends into ambient, soothing music at some points and folk-pop/Bob Dylan-esque the next. The music is deep, but not in a painful, angst-ridden way most music in that genre is. Their inspirations fall within a similar place, including "Wilco, Spoon, and the National", but are all seen in a discreet way that will only make the band seem somewhat familiar in a comforting way.
Clatter Clatter's album, Too Many Boxes, is a must-listen that is well worth it. Although based in Boston, they'll be making their way out to the stretches of Keene, NH and New York in the upcoming months. To hear more, visit their myspace. My favorite song is "City Girls", a song that is able to expose emotion and depth while retaining an old-time sound and feeling. Too Many Boxes will hold your attention without begging for it, and the light, fun sound is perfect for the advent of Spring.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Random Questions with: Clatter Clatter
While I cultivate the article for the latest band I've interviewed, Clatter Clatter, read the random questions and get to know the band... AHOY!
Favorite Movie?
Tie between Pulp Fiction and Ghostbusters and Donnie Darko and Back To The Future
The id, superego, or ego?
Superego. We Love exclamations.
Painting or Sculpture?
Painting sculptures.
The first animal you look for in the zoo?
Koala bears. They're so fucking cute. Way better than cockroaches.
First album that made you interested in music?
Favorite Movie?
Tie between Pulp Fiction and Ghostbusters and Donnie Darko and Back To The Future
The id, superego, or ego?
Superego. We Love exclamations.
Painting or Sculpture?
Painting sculptures.
The first animal you look for in the zoo?
Koala bears. They're so fucking cute. Way better than cockroaches.
First album that made you interested in music?
It's different for all of us. The Eagles' "Greatest Hits Volume 2". Van Halen's "5150". Chuck Berry's "The Great 28".
Toronto or Montreal?
Toronto. Canadians suck. (Some of us are rabid hockey fans.)
Most disgusting sandwich ever created?
I once saw a picture of this guy's McDonald's special: something like 12 meat patties, smothered in grease and cheese. *Shudder* Y'all should stick to the Nashua Garden for sandwiches.
Your dream license plate?
ASSMAN.
Best musical?
"The Secret Garden" because Keith was in it in 11th grade.
Worst lyrics you've heard in a song before?
From a credible artist? "Queen of the Supermarket" by Bruce Springsteen or anything from the past several Weezer albums. Also, and let us preface this with the fact that we love Paul McCartney's solo work. But his last album had some terrible lyrics. The worst is: "what we are, is what we are. And what we wear...is vintage clothes."
Toronto or Montreal?
Toronto. Canadians suck. (Some of us are rabid hockey fans.)
Most disgusting sandwich ever created?
I once saw a picture of this guy's McDonald's special: something like 12 meat patties, smothered in grease and cheese. *Shudder* Y'all should stick to the Nashua Garden for sandwiches.
Your dream license plate?
ASSMAN.
Best musical?
"The Secret Garden" because Keith was in it in 11th grade.
Worst lyrics you've heard in a song before?
From a credible artist? "Queen of the Supermarket" by Bruce Springsteen or anything from the past several Weezer albums. Also, and let us preface this with the fact that we love Paul McCartney's solo work. But his last album had some terrible lyrics. The worst is: "what we are, is what we are. And what we wear...is vintage clothes."
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Review: Alela Diane's "To Be Still"
When I look back on the different seasons every year, there is always an artist/album or two that I listen to that becomes my quintissential album for that point in time. Everything about Alela Diane's new album makes it the perfect winter album - her soothing voice and the folk/americana sound of her music as a whole could warm up anyone during the end of these cold months. To Be Still, Alela Diane's latest album, is the perfect "relaxing" album, the kind of thing you listen to, imagining that you're in the countryside, snowed in, drinking hot cider. Alela Diane has one of the most unique voices I've heard in music today; the sturdy subtlety in her voice is soulful without being dominating, and is gently coaxed by the acoustic, light sounds of the music.
Another thing I enjoy about Still is that this is no neo-folk/sub-genre/generic indie music that you'll hear, which is good, as, let's be honest - that gets boring after a while. This is traditional folk, all the way down to the meditative lyrics, which primarily talk about nature and human feelings. Overall, Still leaves its listener warm; which is perfect while we hold out for the last month or so of winter.
Still is available now, and Alela will be touring over the next couple of months. Want to listen? Her myspace is www.myspace.com/alelamusic. So far, my favorite song is Dry Grass and Shadows, the same song that was the free download on iTunes a couple of weeks back.
Here's her tour schedule in the U.S. (as gotten from her MySpace):
| Holocene CD release show! w/ homeboy Aaron Ross! | PORTLAND, Oregon | ||
| First Avenue w/ Blitzen Trapper(venue changed) | Minneapolis, Minnesota | ||
| The Empty Bottle - EARLY SHOW! | Chicago, Illinois | ||
| Empty Bottle-SOLD OUT | Chicago, Illinois | ||
| Magic Stick w/ Blitzen Trapper | Detroit, Michigan | ||
| Horseshoe Tavern w/ Blitzen Trapper | Toronto | ||
| La Sala Rossa w/ Blitzen Trapper | Montreal | ||
| Bug Jar w/ Blitzen Trapper | Rochester, New York | ||
| Pearl Street Nightclub w/ Blitzen Trapper | Northampton, Massachusetts | ||
| Paradise w/ Blitzen Trapper | Boston, Massachusetts | ||
| Bowery Ballroom - SOLD OUT | New York, New York | ||
| Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Blitzen Trapper | Brooklyn, New York | ||
| First Unitarian Church w/ Blitzen Trapper | philadelphia, Pennsylvania | ||
| Black Cat w/ Blitzen Trapper | washington DC, Washington DC | ||
| 40 Watt Club w/ Blitzen Trapper | Athens, Georgia | ||
| Orange Peel w/ Blitzen Trapper | Asheville, North Carolina | ||
| Mercy Lounge w/ Blitzen Trapper | Nashville, Tennessee | ||
| The Bottletree w/ Blitzen Trapper | Birmingham, Alabama | ||
| Hi-Tone Cafe w/ Blitzen Trapper | Memphis, Tennessee | ||
| The Opolis w/ Blitzen Trapper | Norman, Oklahoma | ||
| Jackpot Saloon w/ Blitzen Trapper | Lawrence, Kansas | ||
| Hi Dive w/ Blitzen Trapper | Denver, Colorado | ||
| Kilby Court w/ Blitzen Trapper | Salt Lake City, Utah | ||
| Hotel Cafe | Los Angeles, California |
Monday, February 16, 2009
Places of Interest: The American Folk Art Museum, New York City
Although it is not as big as the met or MoMA, the American Folk Art Museum is worth a visit next time you go to New York City. The Met and MoMA, while they are excellent museums, are hard to spend less than half a day in. The American Folk Museum is a great half-day trip, perfect for the person who wants to see all of New York City AND a museum in one day.
Located at 45 West 53rd street, it is right next to the Museum of Modern Art and across the street from MoMA's gift shop. The museum's collection focuses on the ideals of Folk Art: the sense of community, craftsmanship, and sense of diversity, among other ideals. The works are anything from 18th century textiles, pottery, and paintings to 20th century sculptures and artifacts. All of the pieces tell some sort of story; they're not just a pretty thing to be adorned on a wall (speaking of which, there is an actual wall taken from a New Hampshire home that is absolutely riveting). These were pieces of art that were actually used in the home, or had a story of some kind at some point. To me, these pieces were real art.
Amongst all the art, I discovered Henry Darger for the first time. The museum has a lot of information about him, which was great for fostering my immediate interest in his art. The museum gift shop had a lot of information on him too, including a book of all the pieces in their collection, the documentary done on him a couple of years back, and a few postcards (I would have gotten the book and documentary if I had the money; alas, I didn't, so I supplied my fancy with 2 postcards). Also, the museum has the Henry Darger Study Center, which houses research on the artist. There is also a fellowship that involves the Henry Darger Study Center. To view the application for the Henry Darger Study Center Fellowship, click here.
Currently, the exhibits at the American Folk Art Museum are "The Seduction of Light: Ammi Philips/Mark Rothko Compositions in Pink, Green, and Red", which will be on display until March 29, 2009; "Martin Ramirez: The Last Works", on display until April 12, 2009; and "Up Close: Henry Darger", which will be on display until September 2009. Whether you know a lot about folk art or not, this museum is worth the visit.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Something That Someone Should Do.
I will admit that I'm a facebook fiend. I'm not "that person" on your friends list with a million pictures up and a million applications, but I am "that person" who absolutely LOVES facebook groups. Which is okay, considering the fact that there are some pretty great groups on facebook - one to cater to my every interest, even the most minute things!
Among them, my recent favorite is "I picked a major I liked, and one day I will probably be living in a box", as this, like many of my artsy counterparts, is my future in a nutshell. If you were to view the discussion topic for this group, you'd notice some witty comments remarking on how they'll make their box unique, a remark highly understandable as it is coming from a lot of current art/history/music/writing/english/philosophy/PRIMARILY art future/current students. This sparked an idea in me - how has no photographer seen the opportunity in this?!
Although I do not own a camera, I've always fantasized about being a photographer. It seems like it would be an exciting endeavor to create an exhibit of photographs about one subject matter, and one of those could be the numerous college graduates-to-be and their fantasy boxes. Although many of these don't include the people who will eventually be living in them, they're still pretty cool! Do see:
The dream cardboard house...
this one is cute...that kid is kind of freaky though...
This reminded me of that show "Out of the Box", the awesome show where they made it seem as if you could create a ridiculously awesome clubhouse out of a couple of cardboard boxes, some paint, and your imagination. Ohhh childhood, how you were so innocent.
It's the most realistic of all the ones ive seen...
Probably the cutest one I saw was this one made by a mother for her daughter. It's the quintessential house for all my friends, as they love cats.
Most of these boxes had children in them. While i was a plastic-toy-house/chairs-and-sheets kid, I think a group should be formed for those kids of this generation who enjoy their cardboard boxes, and plan to attain permanent residence in them as the future starving artists/musicians/writers...and this girl can be their spokesperson:
...then I'm going to make a replica cardboard house like this one. Except for it'll also include a "free therapy sessions for food" sign outside of it, and my two double-major psychology/journalism degrees taped up onto the wall.
Among them, my recent favorite is "I picked a major I liked, and one day I will probably be living in a box", as this, like many of my artsy counterparts, is my future in a nutshell. If you were to view the discussion topic for this group, you'd notice some witty comments remarking on how they'll make their box unique, a remark highly understandable as it is coming from a lot of current art/history/music/writing/english/philosophy/PRIMARILY art future/current students. This sparked an idea in me - how has no photographer seen the opportunity in this?!
Although I do not own a camera, I've always fantasized about being a photographer. It seems like it would be an exciting endeavor to create an exhibit of photographs about one subject matter, and one of those could be the numerous college graduates-to-be and their fantasy boxes. Although many of these don't include the people who will eventually be living in them, they're still pretty cool! Do see:
The dream cardboard house...
this one is cute...that kid is kind of freaky though...
This reminded me of that show "Out of the Box", the awesome show where they made it seem as if you could create a ridiculously awesome clubhouse out of a couple of cardboard boxes, some paint, and your imagination. Ohhh childhood, how you were so innocent.
It's the most realistic of all the ones ive seen...
Probably the cutest one I saw was this one made by a mother for her daughter. It's the quintessential house for all my friends, as they love cats.
Most of these boxes had children in them. While i was a plastic-toy-house/chairs-and-sheets kid, I think a group should be formed for those kids of this generation who enjoy their cardboard boxes, and plan to attain permanent residence in them as the future starving artists/musicians/writers...and this girl can be their spokesperson:
...then I'm going to make a replica cardboard house like this one. Except for it'll also include a "free therapy sessions for food" sign outside of it, and my two double-major psychology/journalism degrees taped up onto the wall.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Burlesque Dancing: an Act for Feminism or Against It?
Many times, Burlesque Dancers describe what they do as "pro-women", or "pro-feminism", saying that they do it to increase their self-esteem, that they do it for themselves, and that rather than a form of striptease, it's a form of artistic expression. However, others entirely disagree; this is the minority who see burlesque dancers and know that the sexed-up, scantily clad group The Pussycat Dolls were originally a burlesque group. The same group was probably disgusted with the similarly curvy Bratz dolls that were popular among little girls but looked down upon by the parents, who already had enough trouble teaching their girls to be themselves in the era of 16th birthday plastic surgery gifts and sexed-up and screwed-up Brittney Spears.
Truly, there are justifiable points to each side. Burlesque becomes too stereotyped as "striptease" in our society, when it really covers a large scope including comedy, skits, and variety-style performance. However, this is America - we over-sex everything (PETA was even able to make vegetables "sexed up" recently...how pathetic is that?), and therefore the what we know today as Neo-Burlesque today will ultimately have sexual connotations. Therefore, sexual connotations equals not pro-women, right?
This opinion is understandable. True, the suffragettes that fought for the right to vote wouldn't have agreed with the general idea of a woman dancing half-naked for her own choice, but, then again, would the feminazis of today agree with it, either? For many women, the idea of getting on a stage and performing, for their own interest, in very little clothing, sounds terrifying. This is because the general audience forgets that it is the women's choice to do so. They aren't the strippers working so they can pay the electricity bill; they make their own calls because they do it for their own interest and appreciation for the art.
However, by naming this an "act of art" or calling it "okay", some can argue that we are telling our children that it is okay to do these things. We may have to fear that their still-developing brains see the similarities between a stripper and a burlesque dancer, for it can't be denied that there are many similarities between the two.
Furthermore, the common definition of feminism is forgotten by the public - the idea that both sexes should have equal rights - and is blown up as something it's not by the deeply pro-women feminists (feminazis, as I called them earlier in this article), who tend to give off the deep resentment of men for rights that they were deprived of - when it was really their ancestors who were deprived of these rights. To me, this is like being angry Germany because your grandfather was in World War II, and lost his innocence in war. However, I'll save my feminism rant for another day.
This being said, is Burlesque truly an act of feminism, if feminism is classified as equality between the sexes? I don't think so. While I do see the positives of burlesque and appreciate it as an art form, I think that the idea of it as an act of feminism is more closely tied to the ideas of the overly-feminist group of feminists, yet at the same time it isn't. With Burlesque, it is as if the dancers are trying to show some superiority over the male sex through the dancing - as if when they dance, this makes them superior over men because they are confident enough to display themselves in a way they consider artistic, and they don't care who's looking, male or female, or what they think about them. While this i-don't-care attitude is admirable, the way it adheres to the subject makes me feel that Burlesque Dancing is not an act of feminism. The lack of interest or acceptance of male burlesque dancing into the mainstream culture of the art makes it seem very unbalanced, also, but, maybe this is just the nature of the art.
Truly, there are justifiable points to each side. Burlesque becomes too stereotyped as "striptease" in our society, when it really covers a large scope including comedy, skits, and variety-style performance. However, this is America - we over-sex everything (PETA was even able to make vegetables "sexed up" recently...how pathetic is that?), and therefore the what we know today as Neo-Burlesque today will ultimately have sexual connotations. Therefore, sexual connotations equals not pro-women, right?
This opinion is understandable. True, the suffragettes that fought for the right to vote wouldn't have agreed with the general idea of a woman dancing half-naked for her own choice, but, then again, would the feminazis of today agree with it, either? For many women, the idea of getting on a stage and performing, for their own interest, in very little clothing, sounds terrifying. This is because the general audience forgets that it is the women's choice to do so. They aren't the strippers working so they can pay the electricity bill; they make their own calls because they do it for their own interest and appreciation for the art.
However, by naming this an "act of art" or calling it "okay", some can argue that we are telling our children that it is okay to do these things. We may have to fear that their still-developing brains see the similarities between a stripper and a burlesque dancer, for it can't be denied that there are many similarities between the two.
Furthermore, the common definition of feminism is forgotten by the public - the idea that both sexes should have equal rights - and is blown up as something it's not by the deeply pro-women feminists (feminazis, as I called them earlier in this article), who tend to give off the deep resentment of men for rights that they were deprived of - when it was really their ancestors who were deprived of these rights. To me, this is like being angry Germany because your grandfather was in World War II, and lost his innocence in war. However, I'll save my feminism rant for another day.
This being said, is Burlesque truly an act of feminism, if feminism is classified as equality between the sexes? I don't think so. While I do see the positives of burlesque and appreciate it as an art form, I think that the idea of it as an act of feminism is more closely tied to the ideas of the overly-feminist group of feminists, yet at the same time it isn't. With Burlesque, it is as if the dancers are trying to show some superiority over the male sex through the dancing - as if when they dance, this makes them superior over men because they are confident enough to display themselves in a way they consider artistic, and they don't care who's looking, male or female, or what they think about them. While this i-don't-care attitude is admirable, the way it adheres to the subject makes me feel that Burlesque Dancing is not an act of feminism. The lack of interest or acceptance of male burlesque dancing into the mainstream culture of the art makes it seem very unbalanced, also, but, maybe this is just the nature of the art.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Old Abram Brown: Interview & Review (FINALLY!)
After it was published, then accidentally deleted, and so on, I finally have my article on Old Abram Brown ready. Therefore, it is now your responsibility to enjoy!
As I sip my hot chocolate hesitantly this numbing winter, I'm listening to Old Abram Brown, a Boston trio consisting of Carson Lund, Dylan Vukelich, and Erik Lund, whose debut album, Alive in Winter, not only nicely parallels this biting weather, but has become my quintessential "soundtrack" for winter.
Old Abram Brown's sound possesses a Cold War Kids-esque, edgy sound and the complimentary stark, frayed lyrics, such as the first few lines from "Will our Garden Grow?":
"We're so alive in winter, and we're so dead in spring, no one wants to hear the sound of the birds sing, world politics is something we don't know, but we're so stuck on will our garden grow"
When coupled with the bare, stark sound of the music, the music come to life - as songs should, and as it will with true musicians. It is obvious they put effort into their lyrics and their sound overall, as the band says that they are "committed to steering clear of banal "universality" in [their] lyrics", and with the myriad of inspirations for their music including film (one of the band members has his own blog that talks about film, you can access it here) childhood memories, made-up narratives, and "abstract imagery that may or may not mean much of anything", it isn't likely they'll be turning to "universality" in their lyrics anytime soon.
Besides the evident Cold War Kids ambiance of their music, Brown pulls from all sorts of artists and styles, the list including Sigur Ros, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, gritty country, waltz, and even Mexican Trumpet. They are the music that you listen to time after time and still get a new perspective on the album. Their lives do also stem away from music - Carson is a librarian, Dylan is a busboy, and Erik is a graphic designer in college, which adds to the originality in their music. "I think we all have our strong interests outside of music which I think helps influence our music" says the band, who say they "all realized at different times" that they wanted to do something with music.
If you want to listen to Old Abram Brown, their debut album Alive in Winter is available online through iTunes or their MySpace, www.myspace.com/oldabrambrown. Although their album is already released, their cd release party is happening at TT the Bears in Boston on Febuary 10th, and then they'll make their way down to Keene, NH at the Downstairs Mix-Up for April 17th, with some gigs most likely to show up between that time.
As I sip my hot chocolate hesitantly this numbing winter, I'm listening to Old Abram Brown, a Boston trio consisting of Carson Lund, Dylan Vukelich, and Erik Lund, whose debut album, Alive in Winter, not only nicely parallels this biting weather, but has become my quintessential "soundtrack" for winter.
Old Abram Brown's sound possesses a Cold War Kids-esque, edgy sound and the complimentary stark, frayed lyrics, such as the first few lines from "Will our Garden Grow?":
"We're so alive in winter, and we're so dead in spring, no one wants to hear the sound of the birds sing, world politics is something we don't know, but we're so stuck on will our garden grow"
When coupled with the bare, stark sound of the music, the music come to life - as songs should, and as it will with true musicians. It is obvious they put effort into their lyrics and their sound overall, as the band says that they are "committed to steering clear of banal "universality" in [their] lyrics", and with the myriad of inspirations for their music including film (one of the band members has his own blog that talks about film, you can access it here) childhood memories, made-up narratives, and "abstract imagery that may or may not mean much of anything", it isn't likely they'll be turning to "universality" in their lyrics anytime soon.
Besides the evident Cold War Kids ambiance of their music, Brown pulls from all sorts of artists and styles, the list including Sigur Ros, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, gritty country, waltz, and even Mexican Trumpet. They are the music that you listen to time after time and still get a new perspective on the album. Their lives do also stem away from music - Carson is a librarian, Dylan is a busboy, and Erik is a graphic designer in college, which adds to the originality in their music. "I think we all have our strong interests outside of music which I think helps influence our music" says the band, who say they "all realized at different times" that they wanted to do something with music.
If you want to listen to Old Abram Brown, their debut album Alive in Winter is available online through iTunes or their MySpace, www.myspace.com/oldabrambrown. Although their album is already released, their cd release party is happening at TT the Bears in Boston on Febuary 10th, and then they'll make their way down to Keene, NH at the Downstairs Mix-Up for April 17th, with some gigs most likely to show up between that time.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Random Questions with...Old Abram Brown
While you all wait for the upcoming review/interview with Old Abram Brown (you can check them out for yourselves here), an Eastern Massachusetts indie-rock trio whose first full release, Alive In Winter, is currently available and worth more than a listen, spend some time reading the responses to the random questions I threw at them. As a welsh corgi fan, I was very happy with the answer for "Favorite Animal". So, take a gander!
Favorite Movie Soundtrack
It may be easier for us to say favorite soundtrack composers, in which case they are Jon Brion (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Yann Tiersen ( Goodbye, Lenin), and Mihaly Vig (Werkmeister Harmonies). And who can deny how well any Stanley Kubrick score fits his films? Johnny Greenwood's work for There Will be Blood was brilliant also.
Best Venue?
Middle East in Cambridge, MA. Dylan is also a big fan of his trip to Red Rocks.
Favorite Song to Cover
We don't cover often but Radiohead tunes are fun on our own time. We played around with an Enya tune once that we might revisit.
Best souvenir from any place you've been
We don't have many souvenirs that mean all that much, Dylan has an International Wolf Center Pencil that he is quite fond of.
Worst amusement park
The ones that don't amuse.
Humorous childhood story?
Anything from Mt. Pleasant Elementary. In fact, that's where we got our band name. Old Abram Brown was a song Carson and Erik sang in music class at one point.
Eastern Europe or Western Europe?
Western Europe
Favorite animal?
Our Welsh Corgi (not dylan's dog (he's a jerk))
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Erik: A rock star or skate boarder
Carson: A Baseball Player.
Dylan: something to do with video game graphics
Worst comedian?
Carlos Mencia, Seth Green, Chris Rock. And all of those redneck comedians.
Would you rather bullfight or be in the running of the bulls...
Chicago Bulls.
Favorite Movie Soundtrack
It may be easier for us to say favorite soundtrack composers, in which case they are Jon Brion (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Yann Tiersen ( Goodbye, Lenin), and Mihaly Vig (Werkmeister Harmonies). And who can deny how well any Stanley Kubrick score fits his films? Johnny Greenwood's work for There Will be Blood was brilliant also.
Best Venue?
Middle East in Cambridge, MA. Dylan is also a big fan of his trip to Red Rocks.
Favorite Song to Cover
We don't cover often but Radiohead tunes are fun on our own time. We played around with an Enya tune once that we might revisit.
Best souvenir from any place you've been
We don't have many souvenirs that mean all that much, Dylan has an International Wolf Center Pencil that he is quite fond of.
Worst amusement park
The ones that don't amuse.
Humorous childhood story?
Anything from Mt. Pleasant Elementary. In fact, that's where we got our band name. Old Abram Brown was a song Carson and Erik sang in music class at one point.
Eastern Europe or Western Europe?
Western Europe
Favorite animal?
Our Welsh Corgi (not dylan's dog (he's a jerk))
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Erik: A rock star or skate boarder
Carson: A Baseball Player.
Dylan: something to do with video game graphics
Worst comedian?
Carlos Mencia, Seth Green, Chris Rock. And all of those redneck comedians.
Would you rather bullfight or be in the running of the bulls...
Chicago Bulls.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Pop Culture Today
A few weeks ago, I was apart of a conversation that touched upon what Pop Culture "is", or at least this is how I viewed the conversation in my mind. This has had me thinking - what is Pop Culture? It feels as if it has been ridden down with the prominence of television in our society. True, television has been a mainstay in our society for a few decades now, but with shows like "I love the 90's/80's/70's" or "Best Week Ever" being popular (which is never a bad thing!), Pop Culture, in its entirety, is shrunken down into hours on our TV guides.
What is the problem with this? This takes pop culture from being something that surrounds us everywhere, from the news that we hear about or the movies we see to the fashions we wear, to watering it down to the television. It makes it a little easier, as everyone loves the comfort of pushing a button and viewing all that is necessary to view, rather than getting out and enclosing themselves with the same information. It takes less effort from people. However, this causes a chain effect that makes people believe that pop culture is everything seen on television. This is only one facet of a huge thing!
Now, true, this isn't a huge issue, but it is still one worth debate. Pop culture used to be what was going on around us, around in the world and how affected us, and certain forces that go along with our culture have turned it into something far less respectable. In our own faulty behavior, we've turned something meant to be entirely cultural into a mess of tabloids and jokes at celebrities' expense. The only question is, who is really affected by it?
What is the problem with this? This takes pop culture from being something that surrounds us everywhere, from the news that we hear about or the movies we see to the fashions we wear, to watering it down to the television. It makes it a little easier, as everyone loves the comfort of pushing a button and viewing all that is necessary to view, rather than getting out and enclosing themselves with the same information. It takes less effort from people. However, this causes a chain effect that makes people believe that pop culture is everything seen on television. This is only one facet of a huge thing!
Now, true, this isn't a huge issue, but it is still one worth debate. Pop culture used to be what was going on around us, around in the world and how affected us, and certain forces that go along with our culture have turned it into something far less respectable. In our own faulty behavior, we've turned something meant to be entirely cultural into a mess of tabloids and jokes at celebrities' expense. The only question is, who is really affected by it?
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
So...
Recently, meaning within the past 3-4 months or so, there has been a surprisingly large amount of good movies out in theaters. Not just typical, hey-this-looks-like-a-nice-sunday-outing movies, but like the films that will be named the future films of this generation; the future "classics", so to speak. Among them, I have seen/plan to see/HIGHLY recommend seeing these films:
Doubt (absolutely wonderful)
Revolutionary Road
The Wrestler
Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
Happy-Go-Lucky
The Class
The Reader
Therefore, I strongly suggest that everyone make an effort to see at least one of these movies, if it is possible. For such supposedly great films to be out after Christmas, the time alloted for films like "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" and "Bride Wars" (get your Anne Hathaway fix with Rachel Getting Married; it's worth it), is wonderful.
Also...I must add in that Coraline should be out in theaters soon...It was one of the best children's books when I was in elementary school - childish and whimsical enough so it caught a kids attention, but it had the ability to foster the creepiness of having a "dream" family whose only prerequisite to you joining the fantasy is a pair of button eyes. If you have a son/daughter/sibling/niece/nephew who is already showing premature signs of an interest in such things (if they can't get enough of tim burton films, etc.), give them the book as a late Christmas/Hanukkah/Holiday present. Then, when they fall in love with it and beg for that same auntie to take them to see it, you better do it, as I'm hoping the movie will live up to the expectations I have for it.
Doubt (absolutely wonderful)
Revolutionary Road
The Wrestler
Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
Happy-Go-Lucky
The Class
The Reader
Therefore, I strongly suggest that everyone make an effort to see at least one of these movies, if it is possible. For such supposedly great films to be out after Christmas, the time alloted for films like "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" and "Bride Wars" (get your Anne Hathaway fix with Rachel Getting Married; it's worth it), is wonderful.
Also...I must add in that Coraline should be out in theaters soon...It was one of the best children's books when I was in elementary school - childish and whimsical enough so it caught a kids attention, but it had the ability to foster the creepiness of having a "dream" family whose only prerequisite to you joining the fantasy is a pair of button eyes. If you have a son/daughter/sibling/niece/nephew who is already showing premature signs of an interest in such things (if they can't get enough of tim burton films, etc.), give them the book as a late Christmas/Hanukkah/Holiday present. Then, when they fall in love with it and beg for that same auntie to take them to see it, you better do it, as I'm hoping the movie will live up to the expectations I have for it.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Probably the Funniest Video I've Seen In A While...
Basically the title says it all. I noticed this in an E6 Discussion Board Post...and I couldn't stop laughing. For those not familiar with the indie/hipster community, this is basically a good example of the negative things about them...the music is great but the pretentiousness isn't. Anyways, watch!
http://www.virb.com/847560649383927/videos/11237
http://www.virb.com/847560649383927/videos/11237
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Whoops!/Inauguration Opinion...
After publishing my internet comics post, I realized that the pictures did come out a little lopsided (they weren't entirely there!). If you really wanted to see them, and you didn't already find this out, then all you needed to do was click on the picture and you could see them in all their comic entirety!
Anyways, now that that little technical error is out of the way, on to serious business...for those of you that don't know, I was one of the very few youth who wasn't in favor of Obama. However, at the same time I didn't like McCain either, so I was kind of in a rut. There was no doubt that Obama was going to be our new president - if he didn't get elected after the '04 election, I would have been shocked. Therefore, I decided that no matter what, whether I agreed with them or not, I was going to suck it up and treat the new president with the amount of respect they deserved, unlike nearly every American when it came to Bush (true, he was bad, but he wasn't Hitler, either).
Knowing all this, I expected Obama's speech to be beyond flawless. He is, and always will be a phenomenal speaker - part of this because he knew what he needed to project to the public; partially because the things he had on his platform were things that the common people of America would be enticed by after our economic pitfalls/a war no one agrees with/other issues made prominent by the media/other platforms for politics. He has wonderful people skills, something that everyone couldn't help but notice after George W. Bush's mess-ups and such during his speeches. On top of it, Obama was against John McCain, who, although the differences between him and Bush are somewhat abundant, they were both old republicans who had difficulties in speaking/relating to the public, and this caused problems with the general public.
Anyways, my expectations for Obama's inaugural address were probably beyond what they should have been, so...I must admit that at first seeing it, I wasn't nearly as impressed as I probably should have been. I felt he was really just reiterating what he had said throughout the election, which I guess is what you're really supposed to do, but I was hoping for something more, something that would really solidify to me that he was the right guy for the job.
Listening to it again, it was a truly admirable speech. My confidence that he will serve our country the way it needs to be served during this difficult time isn't there yet, but maybe it is good to wait until he does things to make up my mind.
Anyways, now that that little technical error is out of the way, on to serious business...for those of you that don't know, I was one of the very few youth who wasn't in favor of Obama. However, at the same time I didn't like McCain either, so I was kind of in a rut. There was no doubt that Obama was going to be our new president - if he didn't get elected after the '04 election, I would have been shocked. Therefore, I decided that no matter what, whether I agreed with them or not, I was going to suck it up and treat the new president with the amount of respect they deserved, unlike nearly every American when it came to Bush (true, he was bad, but he wasn't Hitler, either).
Knowing all this, I expected Obama's speech to be beyond flawless. He is, and always will be a phenomenal speaker - part of this because he knew what he needed to project to the public; partially because the things he had on his platform were things that the common people of America would be enticed by after our economic pitfalls/a war no one agrees with/other issues made prominent by the media/other platforms for politics. He has wonderful people skills, something that everyone couldn't help but notice after George W. Bush's mess-ups and such during his speeches. On top of it, Obama was against John McCain, who, although the differences between him and Bush are somewhat abundant, they were both old republicans who had difficulties in speaking/relating to the public, and this caused problems with the general public.
Anyways, my expectations for Obama's inaugural address were probably beyond what they should have been, so...I must admit that at first seeing it, I wasn't nearly as impressed as I probably should have been. I felt he was really just reiterating what he had said throughout the election, which I guess is what you're really supposed to do, but I was hoping for something more, something that would really solidify to me that he was the right guy for the job.
Listening to it again, it was a truly admirable speech. My confidence that he will serve our country the way it needs to be served during this difficult time isn't there yet, but maybe it is good to wait until he does things to make up my mind.
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Top 5 Internet Comics
This past summer I attended a creative writing workshop, where the instructor mentioned that writers tend to enjoy categorizing things into lists. Although this was early in the workshop and I proceeded on to learn numerous other things about creative writing, this point stuck with me and made me realize how much I enjoy writing lists, even though I'm a very disorganized person who gets stressed at the thought of composing things into order. Anyways, I recently partnered this interest in list-making with my love of web comics to create a top 5 list of Web Comics! Complete with links, a selection of my favorite comic, et cetera.
The Top 5 Internet Comics!
5. pictures for sad children
As a web comic that actually tells its reader a story they have to follow, I was already interested. When I found out that it was about a ghost...or, a guy who's a ghost who wears a sheet over himself to appear more ghost-like after he dies and has to remain on Earth, how could I NOT find this enticing?!
4. a softer world (older)
Consisting of broken up photography and the cute-in-a-twisted-way typewriter font saying quirky things, who couldn't enjoy the quirks of A Softer World?! Sadly, over time the humor has gone down in quality, but hey, what can you do? The older ones still beat the new ones enough to overrule their suckiness.
3. older marriedtothesea
If a softer world got bad over time, then marriedtothesea is a tragedy. Originally a hilarious twist on old-time illustrations, they were about the dark, the humorous, and sometimes the mundane doings of society. Then, somewhere they decided that it would be good to go and screw it all up with doing supposed "quirky" designs that appear to be in the '50's-time/era/style, and everything got ruined. MTDS went from being one of the comics I checked every day to being disregarded from my life entirely. However, as you'll see from one of my favorites, the humor is just too priceless to disregard it from the top 5 webcomics.
marriedtothesea.com
2. xkcd
Yes, practically everyone knows of them. Yes, they are only stick figures; yes, they are really simple. Yet, they are also absolutely hilarious. Also, their warning at the bottom of the page reads:
Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).
That last part cracked me up...
1. Dinosaur Comics (also known as Qwantz)
ANYONE who has the guts to say that they dislike Dinosaur Comics shouldn't be allowed to have a sense of humor! This comic is one of the only comics out there that remains as funny the first day it was sent out onto the internet as it is today. Part of the cleverness in it is the one reason it could be up for debate creatively: the comic is the same six blocks of scenes: T-Rex, the main dinosaur, talking in the first block, a closeup on his face, him on the verge of stepping on someone's house while talking to another dinosaur in the next scene, and so on...nonetheless, it's great. It's worth the couple of seconds it takes to type in the url and check it every week, so do ittt
As a web comic that actually tells its reader a story they have to follow, I was already interested. When I found out that it was about a ghost...or, a guy who's a ghost who wears a sheet over himself to appear more ghost-like after he dies and has to remain on Earth, how could I NOT find this enticing?!
4. a softer world (older)
Consisting of broken up photography and the cute-in-a-twisted-way typewriter font saying quirky things, who couldn't enjoy the quirks of A Softer World?! Sadly, over time the humor has gone down in quality, but hey, what can you do? The older ones still beat the new ones enough to overrule their suckiness.
3. older marriedtothesea
If a softer world got bad over time, then marriedtothesea is a tragedy. Originally a hilarious twist on old-time illustrations, they were about the dark, the humorous, and sometimes the mundane doings of society. Then, somewhere they decided that it would be good to go and screw it all up with doing supposed "quirky" designs that appear to be in the '50's-time/era/style, and everything got ruined. MTDS went from being one of the comics I checked every day to being disregarded from my life entirely. However, as you'll see from one of my favorites, the humor is just too priceless to disregard it from the top 5 webcomics.
marriedtothesea.com
2. xkcd
Yes, practically everyone knows of them. Yes, they are only stick figures; yes, they are really simple. Yet, they are also absolutely hilarious. Also, their warning at the bottom of the page reads:
Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).
That last part cracked me up...
1. Dinosaur Comics (also known as Qwantz)
ANYONE who has the guts to say that they dislike Dinosaur Comics shouldn't be allowed to have a sense of humor! This comic is one of the only comics out there that remains as funny the first day it was sent out onto the internet as it is today. Part of the cleverness in it is the one reason it could be up for debate creatively: the comic is the same six blocks of scenes: T-Rex, the main dinosaur, talking in the first block, a closeup on his face, him on the verge of stepping on someone's house while talking to another dinosaur in the next scene, and so on...nonetheless, it's great. It's worth the couple of seconds it takes to type in the url and check it every week, so do ittt
so it all begins!
So here is where I begin!
I've always thought about doing a blog but have never known how to really get into one (I tend to procrastinate a lot...). My tastes/train of thought can range anywhere from politics to fashion to food or music and books and movies. Therefore, this blog isn't about one subject - it's supposed to go along with whatever I'm thinking about/am interested in at the time.
So! Feel free to look around every once in a while. I shall start corresponding pretty soon...
I've always thought about doing a blog but have never known how to really get into one (I tend to procrastinate a lot...). My tastes/train of thought can range anywhere from politics to fashion to food or music and books and movies. Therefore, this blog isn't about one subject - it's supposed to go along with whatever I'm thinking about/am interested in at the time.
So! Feel free to look around every once in a while. I shall start corresponding pretty soon...
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